Growing guide

How to Grow Strawberries

The first fruit most gardeners grow — perennial, productive, and great in containers.

The basics

What strawberries need

• Sun — Full sun (6+ hours)
• Water — 1–1.5 inches per week, consistent
• Harvest in Fruit in first or second year
• Difficulty — Easy

When to plant

Time it from your frost date

• Start indoors: Usually planted as bare-root crowns
• Transplant: Early spring
• Direct sow: Plant crowns in early spring
• Best in Zones 3–10

How to plant

Three steps to a strong start

• 1. Plant bare-root crowns in early spring with the crown exactly at soil level — burying it rots the plant.
• 2. Space 12–18 in apart in rich, slightly acidic, well-drained soil in full sun.
• 3. Pinch off the first year’s flowers on June-bearers to build strong plants.

Common problem

Rotting crowns

Crown planted too deep or soil too wet — set crowns at soil level in well-drained ground.

Common problem

Birds eating fruit

Net plants as berries ripen.

Harvest

Picking strawberries right

Pick when berries are fully red, ideally in the cool morning, leaving the green cap on. Harvest every 1–2 days during the season and remove any rotting fruit to protect the rest.

Gardeners ask

How deep do you plant strawberries?

Set the crown exactly at soil level — the roots fanned below, the crown above. Burying the crown causes rot; planting too high dries the roots.

Keep growing

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